A Winter Duel
by dracoaddicted
Summary: "A snowball fight the muggle way? How uncivilized. I thought you were a witch." D/Hr, one-shot, written for a fic challenge.


**Written for a fan fiction challenge.**  
**For the challenge, the entries must include:**  
a coconut  
a kiss  
snow  
and a tiger

* * *

Hermione stood outside in the cold air watching snowflakes fall from the sky in thick swirls, silently enjoying the pristine beauty of the snow-blanketed grounds. She thought about the cloudy gray sky and how it reminded her of the silver eyes of a certain Slytherin. Hermione didn't know why she fancied Draco Malfoy. He riled her up and made fun of her hair on a daily basis. In class, he made snide remarks every time she raised her hand and always had a smug look on his face. In short, he was an infuriating git. But he was also smart, second in their class (after her, of course) and he was undeniably good looking. He might be getting on her last nerve, but he was a boy and he paid her attention. At least, that was how Hermione justified it. Maybe she was becoming delusional but she was starting to see his smirks as small smiles.

Hermione sighed and her breath turned to fog. She wished she would just get over this small infatuation; Draco would never feel the same way about her.

SMACK!

Something cold and hard connected with the back of Hermione Granger's head, forcing her to stumble forward and land painfully on her hands and knees. The snow beneath her bare palms was frigid and her jeans were quickly getting wet at the knees and shins. She took a deep breath and got up shakily, shocked and confused by the impact. Raising a hand to the back of her head, Hermione winced slightly in pain when her fingers found a slight bump. Her hair was wet and cold to the touch… Hermione's eyes narrowed in realization. Quickly drawing her wand from her robes, she spun around and was met with –

SMACK!

Another snowball – this time to the face.

Wiping her face furiously with the sleeve of her robes, Hermione searched for the culprit. There, several yards away, was the reason her face was now stinging and no doubt red and blotchy. Draco Malfoy was leaning against a pine tree, looking like he had not a care in the world. He was in fact, inspecting his perfectly manicured nails like the little good-looking snob he was. If Hermione's blood was simmering before, it was surely boiling now. She angrily reached down to grab a fist full of snow and heard a sigh.

"Uh-uh, Granger. I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Well you're not me, ferret."

"Thank Merlin. I don't think I could tame that horrendous beast you call _your hair_."

Hermione chucked the snowball at the Slytherin prat. Draco pushed off the tree's trunk, easily dodging her shot, and took a few steps toward the angry brunette.

"A snowball fight the muggle way? How uncivilized. I thought you were a witch."

Before Hermione could get a chance to wipe the smirk off his face, Draco flicked his wand, sending three snowballs her way. Hermione quickly reacted; she did not need telling twice.

"Protego!"

The snowballs seemed to burst as they met the invisible barrier. Draco sent three more. Hermione transfigured them into coconuts, reflecting them back to him. He barely dodged one that was aimed for his nose.

"Oi! You could've killed me, Granger!"

"I'm just getting warmed up, Malfoy!"

"Yeah, I can see that."

Hermione pushed her wet hair out of her pink face. "What's that supposed to mean, ferret?"

Draco shrugged, "You're supposed to be McGonagall's best student."

"I _am_."

"Well then, I'm quite disappointed. Transfiguring an inanimate object into another inanimate object is something that all first years can do."

"I turned snow into something _edible_, you dimwit! Let's see you try!"

"Snow is just frozen water, which is edible to begin with, frizz-head!"

Hermione let out a frustrated cry and swished her wand in a downward stroke. A large chunk of snow fell from the pine tree's branches above Draco, who used his wand to force the snow to change direction and fly towards Hermione. The witch halted the clump of snow mid-flight and transfigured it into a large, striped orange beast that leapt to the ground.

"Bloody hell, Granger! Of all things, a _tiger_?" Draco gulped. The predator in question began to slowly circle the platinum-haired slytherin.

"So am I McGonagalls best student or not?"

Draco's eyes never left the tiger, whose eyes were locked on him and was beginning to growl.

"Okay you made your point, you can change it back now."

"No, I don't think so Malfoy." It was Hermione's turn to smirk. She finally had the upper hand.

The tiger began to take small predatory steps toward Draco who was now taking small, careful steps backward, trying his best not to startle it into action.

"O-okay, your transfiguration is impressive. _Happy now_?"

Hermione simply brushed some snow off her shoulder uninterestedly. She was enjoying the power she had over Malfoy at the moment. Any minute now and he'll be begging her.

"W-w-what do you want, Granger? I-I'll give you anything you want!"

The tiger was crouching low in the snow, muscles clenching beneath its thick fur, ready to pounce on Malfoy any second now. Panic was becoming evident on his features.

Hermione arched her brow skeptically "Anything?"

"A-anything- AHHH!"

Draco fell backwards, having tripped over his own feet at the precise moment the tiger leapt for his throat. The large animal was mid-air when Hermione completed the counter-spell to turn it back into its original form. The large chunk of snow landed on top of the screaming wizard, pinning him to the ground and blanketing him in white.

It took Draco a moment to realize that the tiger had not killed him and that Hermione was waiting impatiently where the predator had stood before, arms folded. He got up, brushing the snow off his robes as if he hadn't been screaming for help from a girl not a few minutes earlier.

"Well?"

"Well what Granger?" He held his head high.

"You said you'll give me _anything I want_, Malfoy, or should I bring back my_ pet_?"

"I don't get what it is with you and keeping hairy orange monsters with claws as pets Granger, but if it's money you want-" Draco's hand delved into the pocket of his robes in search for his coin bag.

"I don't want money." Hermione said as she strode up to Malfoy to look him in the eye. He stared her down.

"Just hurry up and tell me what you want Granger because I'm tired, I'm cold, I'm wet and I just want to go insi-"

Hermione shoved Draco down so that he was lying down on his back on the snow-covered ground once more. She quickly got down on her knees next to him so that she could shove a handful of snow into his pretty pure-blooded face. Draco spluttered in shock. When he got over the surprise he rolled over, pushed Hermione onto her back and straddled her. It was Hermione's turn to be stunned and she stared at him, waiting for his next move. He took both her wrists and pinned them with one hand over her head. Leaning close, he whispered with his lips brushing her ear, "since you insist on doing this the muggle way…"

With his free hand, Draco scooped up a handful of snow next to her head and shoved it underneath her robes. Hermione screamed and squirmed under him. Whether she was screaming in delight due to the fact his hand was touching her stomach or because of the icy cold snow, Hermione did not know. The only thought that really registered in her mind was that Draco Malfoy was on top of her and that his hand was in her robes.

"Fuck… Herm-I mean Granger stop...fucking _moving_."

He withdrew his hand, let go of her wrists, and sat back onto her thighs in rapid succession. Hermione took the opportunity to use her liberated hands in order to try and remove the snow from under her blouse. Draco was uncharacteristically silent and she realized he was staring at the stretch of skin she had exposed when she lifted her shirt. Blushing, she smoothed down her blouse and looked away.

"I know what I want, Malfoy." Hermione said breathlessly, sitting up.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Kiss me," she spoke bravely.

Draco tensed. "You're kidding."

With a low growl, Hermione grabbed a fistful of his robes, and pulled him down so that their mouths met. His lips were all ice, as cold as the frosty air around her. When his hand buried itself in her hair and she moaned, it was all fire. He was kissing her back, his hot tongue slipping between her cool lips and into her mouth. The heat was addicting and all her earlier frustration melted into passion. Hermione had never felt so alive and it was as if nothing else existed but them.

Wait. She needed oxygen… _now_. Pulling back reluctantly, Hermione took a deep breath of the fresh winter air and closed her eyes, waiting for Draco's reaction.

Draco growled in her ear, his voice deep and husky.

"About fucking time, Granger. Now let's see if you can transfigure that rock into a bed."


End file.
